Family, neighbors say man shot by Stockton police didn't fire first

Wednesday

Jan 9, 2013 at 6:45 PMJan 9, 2013 at 8:00 PM

STOCKTON – The mother of a man who was shot by police Saturday night and neighbors who heard the gunfire are raising questions about authorities' claims that 20-year-old Jeremy Fleming fired a shotgun at officers before they opened fire on him.

The Record

STOCKTON – The mother of a man who was shot by police Saturday night and neighbors who heard the gunfire are raising questions about authorities' claims that 20-year-old Jeremy Fleming fired a shotgun at officers before they opened fire on him.

“I know what a shotgun sounds like, and a shotgun didn't go off,” said Michael Walker, who heard the shots from his living room across the street. “There were nine or 10 shots, and it all sounded like pistols. It was a low-caliber gun – not a shotgun.”

Police initially said Fleming fired the shotgun at them as they approached him in the garage of a home in the 500 block of Cimarron Avenue shortly before 9 p.m. Saturday. Officer Joe Silva, a spokesman for the Stockton Police Department, amended earlier statements Wednesday, saying officers heard a loud noise as they entered the garage to find Fleming armed with a shotgun.

“Officers stated they heard a loud bang consistent with a shotgun being fired,” Silva said. “At this point, officers believed they were being shot at and were immediately confronted by Fleming, who was behind a vehicle in the garage, pointing a shotgun at the officers.”

Silva said firearm evidence found at the scene will help authorities determine whether Fleming fired his weapon. Fleming sustained multiple non-life-threatening gunshot wounds. The shooting is being reviewed as part of a standard multiagency protocol investigation.

Read Thursday's Record for more on this story by staff writer Jason Anderson.